A Day in the Life of a Small Business Owner

Coming from the experience of running not just one, but two small businesses, I’ve learned first hand that running a small business is like juggling a dozen balls at once. Each day brings forth a new set of challenges, from planning and managing your business’s sustainability and growth strategies, managing daily operations, to addressing unexpected challenges, the life of a small business owner is a whirlwind of activity. With every task and decision, there's an underlying current of urgency, a sense that every action taken—or not taken—can have a significant impact on the success of the business.

You start each day with your set of to-do’s and things you need to get done, with hopes that you won’t be interrupted too much. You know there are countless tasks waiting to be tackled, from following up on leads to ensuring that orders are fulfilled promptly. Yet, despite your best efforts to carve out uninterrupted time to focus on these priorities, you're keenly aware that the day may have other plans in store for you. Interruptions loom on the horizon, ready to derail your carefully laid plans and divert your attention at a moment's notice.

Let’s take a look and see how your day might play out as a small business owner.

Does this sound familiar?

🌅 As the sun rises, as a small business owner, your day begins even before your business is officially “open.” It starts with a plan in hand and a to-do list of tasks to tackle. With optimism and determination (hopefully!), you dive into your work, eager to make progress and drive your business forward. Armed with nothing but your unyielding determination that has brought you this far, you step into the fray, ready to tackle whatever challenges come your way. This day is a fresh opportunity to make strides toward your business and life goals.

🕛 Your business “open hours” start, and you start on your list of to-do’s for the day. However, your plans are derailed as the first interruption of the day comes knocking.

📞 A customer calls with a question or issue about their order or product, seeking a solution or restitution. You may not have fielded the call yourself, however, your employee comes to you, seeking help with the customer, because without documented procedures to reference, the employee doesn’t know how to answer the concern. So, you scramble to provide an answer, relying on memory and intuition to guide them. Meanwhile, time is ticking away, and the to-do list grows longer by the minute. You work the employee to get the question or issue resolved, and hope they know what to do in the future if this same situation arises.

😮 Relieved that fire is put out, you return to your to-do list, realizing half your morning is already gone.

🤔 Being the end of the quarter, you start on your end-of-the-quarter tasks, but realize you have forgotten all the forms you need to submit for your quarterly reports, and don’t remember where you put the previous quarter’s information. You scramble through your notes and documents, knowing you have had to put this off until the last minute, because you have been constantly dealing with other things in your business over the past month.

🚪 As you finally get into a groove of submitting the forms, another knock at the door comes. With a heavy sigh, you put your to-do list to the side, and welcome the person in.

😨 A panicked employee enters, letting you know someone called off, and there is no one to do their work. You ask them to cover, in hopes that they know how to do their fellow employee’s job, but you are confronted with a confused and distraught look from your employee. They say they “might” know how to do that job, and can just wing it, if needed. You have a choice to make: have them “wing” it or take the rest of your day to do the missing employee’s work, since you are the one who knows how to do all the jobs in your business. Knowing you have too much to do, you tell your employee to “do their best and get what they can done” and you will check on things at the end of the day.

😮‍💨 Another fire is put out, and you return to your to-do list, now seeing that half the day is gone.

🫢 Oh crap! You forgot to order an important part for next week’s project, and need order it today, or it won’t arrive in time. So you scramble to get it ordered, and realize you have to pay extra for rush shipping to make sure it gets to you on time.

🌀 Throughout the day, interruptions continue to mount as employees seek guidance on various issues and concerns. From how to handle a customer request to the steps for processing a refund, each situation pulls you away from your planned tasks, forcing you to firefight instead of focusing on your business’s priorities.

🕧 Finally, your business “open hours” end, and you look at your list of to-do’s for the day, seeing that maybe a few things got accomplished.. and you don’t even look in your inbox, because that thing has been full and overwhelming for weeks now.

🌅 As the sun sets on another busy day, you find yourself still at your desk, working long past business hours to catch up on the tasks that were pushed aside by the day's interruptions. Exhausted and overwhelmed, you vow to find a better way to manage your business… tomorrow.

What changes?

Tomorrow comes, and it’s like the movie Ground Hog’s Day where the same situation happens over and over, and you feel like you are in a hamster wheel, constantly running, but getting nowhere.

You try and time-block, putting out-of-office notices on your email, even a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your office door, so you aren’t interrupted.. but they just keep coming, because you are the one with the information about your business.

How can things change, if you, as the small business owner, don’t change them?

What if it were more like this?

🌅 As the sun rises, as a small business owner, your day begins even before your business is officially “open.” It starts with a plan in hand and a to-do list of tasks to tackle. With optimism and determination (hopefully!), you are ready to dive into your work, eager to make progress and drive your business forward.

🕛 Your business “open hours” start, and you start on your list of to-do’s for the day. You hear the phone ring, and your employee saying, “sorry” to the person on the phone.

📞 The customer called with a question or issue about their order or product, seeking a solution or restitution. You poke your head out of your door, and instead of scrambling to provide an answer, your employee confidently refers to the documented customer calls process you've established. With clear procedures in place, your employee smiles confidently and give you an assuring look that they can handle the situation. You watch as they address the customer's concern, knowing that your well-documented policies have empowered your team to handle such situations effectively, saving you valuable time and reducing stress.

😊 With only a few minutes taken from your time, you return to your to-do list and inbox and start ticking away on your tasks and emails.

😀 Being the end of the quarter, you start on your end-of-the-quarter tasks, but realize you have forgotten all the forms you need to submit for your quarterly reports, and don’t remember where you put the previous quarter’s information. Instead of scrambling through your notes and documents, you simply refer to your documented Quarterly Tasks procedure. With the procedures clearly outlined, you easily locate the required forms within minutes and submit them promptly. Thanks to your well-documented policies and procedures, you avoid unnecessary stress and delays, ensuring that important tasks are completed efficiently.

🚪 As you finish submitting the forms, another knock at the door comes. Feeling good because of the ease of the morning, you happily welcome the person in.

😃 A panicked employee enters, letting you know someone called off, and there is no one to do their work. You ask them to cover, in hopes that they know how to do their fellow employee’s job, but you are confronted with a confused and distraught look from your employee. Instead of leaving the employee to "wing" it, you provide them with the documented processes and procedures of their counterpart's job. With clear instructions at their disposal, the employee gives you a confident smile, assuring you that they will take care of their tasks. Empowered by the documented procedures, the employee tackles the responsibilities with ease, allowing you to focus on your own tasks without much more interruption or questions.

😮‍💨 Another fire is easily put out, and you return to your to-do list.

😆 Oh crap! You thought forgot to order an important part for next week’s project, and need order it today, or it won’t arrive in time. However, thanks to your documented process on when to order parts, you recall that it was already ordered last week. With a quick check of the arrival date, you confirm that it's scheduled to arrive today, providing plenty time to test it out before the upcoming project.

📄 Throughout the day, though various issues and concerns still arise, your employees handle those various issues and concerns by referencing the documented policies and procedures you've put in place. Whether it's addressing a customer request or processing a refund, they confidently navigate through each situation without needing to disrupt your workflow. As a result, you're able to breeze through your to-do list, staying focused on your business's priorities without constant interruptions.

🕧 Finally, your business “open hours” end, and you look at your list of to-do’s for the day and are pleasantly surprised to see that not only did you accomplish everything you set out to do, but you also managed to tackle a few additional tasks. Feeling accomplished, you decide to take a quick peek at your inbox and are delighted to find it completely cleaned out, a stark contrast to its overwhelming state in previous weeks. With a sense of satisfaction, you wrap up your day knowing that you've made significant progress and are ready to tackle whatever tomorrow may bring.

🌅 As the sun sets on another busy day, you find yourself wrapping up work, having efficiently completed all your tasks during business hours. Feeling accomplished and satisfied, you shut down your computer and head out to enjoy some quality time with your family. With a sense of balance restored, you look forward to spending the evening engaged in self-care, attending an exercise class, or taking a leisurely walk with your dog. Reflecting on the day's accomplishments, you feel grateful for the progress made and confident in your ability to effectively manage your business while also prioritizing personal well-being.

What changed?

The key difference between the two scenarios lies in the implementation of documented policies and procedures within the business operations.

🌪️ In the first scenario, without clear guidelines or standardized processes, the small business owner faced constant interruptions, delays, and the burden of having to personally resolve each issue that arose. This led to a chaotic and overwhelming day, with tasks left unfinished and the feeling of being constantly behind.

🏖️ However, in the second scenario, the adoption of documented policies and procedures transformed the business environment. With clear protocols in place, employees were able to handle inquiries and tasks independently, allowing the business owner to focus on strategic priorities and complete their to-do list efficiently.

This change was driven by the proactive decision to invest time and effort into establishing structured systems, ultimately leading to increased productivity, reduced stress, and a better work-life balance.

What does this all mean?

Solving the Chaos and Time Crunch with Documented Policies and Procedures

In conclusion, the day in the life of a small business owner without documented policies and procedures is one marked by chaos, interruptions, and inefficiency. Without clear guidelines to follow, every decision becomes a challenge, and every interruption disrupts the flow of productivity. To thrive in the competitive landscape of entrepreneurship, small business owners must prioritize the development and implementation of documented policies and procedures, enabling them to regain control of their time, streamline operations, and drive sustainable growth.

In essence, implementing documented policies and procedures within a business serves as a powerful antidote to chaos and time constraints. It means transitioning from a reactive approach, where each issue demands immediate attention and personal intervention, to a proactive and structured system that empowers employees and streamlines operations.

By having clear guidelines in place, businesses can minimize interruptions, improve efficiency, and reclaim valuable time that would otherwise be lost to firefighting. Ultimately, it means creating an environment where tasks are completed with precision, employees feel confident in their roles, and the business owner can focus on strategic initiatives rather than being bogged down by day-to-day minutiae.